Intrigue
by Abisian
Summary: When Ecklie finds an intriguing email left carelessly on the screen of the lab computer, it leads the entire lab to believe more is going on between Grissom and Sara than they appear to be letting on. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **In no way, form, or fashion do I own CSI or any of the characters associated with it. Except my Nicky plushie.

**A/N:** Read many, written none. CSI fics, that is. I think I might take my time, proofread, and finish this one, unlike almost every other ongoing fic I've written A beta would be nice, by the way, if you have a knack for catching small errors in punctuation, formal grammar, things like that. Just give me an email if you're interested. Thanks much!

**Intrigue**

**Synopsis:** When Ecklie finds an intriguing email left carelessly on the screen of the lab computer, it leads the entire lab to believe more is going on between Grissom and Sara than either of them appears to be letting on. GSR (centers more around personal situations than cases.)

**Chapter 1.**

The day had been particularly cold for Las Vegas, Nevada, but for once it felt nice to be out of the scorching heat. The CSI lab was no exception.

Warrick and Catherine were out investigating the B&E of a home in a run-down neighborhood. Sara, Grissom, and Nick had left moments ago to begin their investigation of a car that crashed over a bridge railing.

Ecklie was just preparing to leave. Day shift had ended, but he continued into overtime to inspect evidence and make notes. He walked to the lab quickly, wanting to hurry and get out, when he noticed that neither the day shift lab tech nor the night shift lab tech were present.

Making a mental note of it, he walked across the lab. Day shift's tech had left hours ago when shift ended. That meant Grissom's lab rat was either on an unscheduled break or had simply turned up late. The computer screen Ecklie passed, however, showed he was merely taking a break.

Setting his evidence bags gently on the table, he looked toward the door. Cautiously, he sat slowly in the chair. The corners of Ecklie's mouth slowly turned upward into a smirk as he observed the document. This little document happened to be a chain email sent through the system. Though he didn't recognize the address, it didn't matter. This picture and the words beneath it were simply too intriguing to report whether or not he knew who the sender was.

Ecklie stood as footsteps approached from behind. Grabbing his evidence bags, he turned quickly. In the doorway stood the night shift lab tech with headphones around his neck. In one hand was a CD-player and magazine, a half-empty cup of coffee in the other.

"Dropping off evidence. I need it processed as soon as you can. Have it waiting in the morning, if possible." With another sickening leer, Ecklie said, "By the way, I will be reporting to your supervisor of your unscheduled breaks and what you do when he is not around." With that, Ecklie left, Greg stepping aside as he passed.

Greg looked in horror at the screen across the room. The tampered picture was plastered clearly there, and Ecklie, Grissom's worst enemy, had seen it.

* * *

Sara trudged through the hallway, looking down at the folder in her hands. She was sure the car crashing over the railing was an accident, but Grissom hadn't been so sure. She flipped through papers, reading and rereading witness testimonies. Only did she lift her head when she passed the evidence lab, seeing Greg sitting and doing absolutely nothing. She stopped.

At a table with bags of evidence surrounding him, he sat still and silent, the look of guilt obvious on his face. What struck Sara as odd, however, was the fact that that's all there was. Greg and a mountain of day shift evidence. No coffee, no music, no magazine. No email.

"Hey, what's up?" Sara asked, walking in. Greg's head snapped up, his eyes widening as he realized who she was.

"Oh ... Sara ... Hi."

"Uh, okay. Something wrong? You seem a little different tonight."

"Uh, nothing. Where-where's Grissom?"

"With Doc. Why? Something you need to tell him? I can deliver your-"

"No, nothing to tell him." Greg looked suddenly frightened. Sara closed the folder in her hands and sat down across from him.

"Is there something he should know that you're too afraid to tell him?" she asked knowingly. It was really more of a statement than a question. "Tell me what happened. I may even be more help than Grissom."

"Actually ..." Greg started, then paused. "You'll probably blow up on me. He'd stay calm and query me." Sara looked at him curiously.

"What is it that would make me explode on you?" Greg raised an eyebrow. "Really. Tell me." Greg sighed, sounding defeated. He stood and slowly walked to his computer. Sara stood and followed. Sara leaned over his shoulder to look as he sat in the chair at his desk. He pulled up his email.

Clicking on a link, he closed his eyes and waited for the torrent of accusations to begin. To his surprise, she was silent. Greg looked up at her. She was staring with her mouth open at the screen.

"What the hell-?"

"I got this in my email," he said sheepishly. "I don't know who sent it, but it was a work-wide ... it was a network email."

"So then everyone in the lab got one?"

"Probably. Maybe even you and Grissom. I dunno. I don't go through people's e-mails like Ecklie does."

"Ecklie? You mean- you mean he ... _knows_?! He's seen it?!" Greg nodded solemnly. Grissom would be pissed, but at least he would be calm about being pissed. But it wasn't Greg's fault. It was, well, she didn't know who sent the picture. But the address was traceable, and that was at least a start.

"So, what, do you want to tell Grissom or not?"

"Tell me what?" Sara shot around as Grissom's voice came floating in. He stood in the doorway, looking at them over his glasses. Several folders were under his arm as he inspected another.

"That, uh ..." Sara looked over her shoulder; Greg had already exited from the screen. "That I may have a lead in our investigation." Sara looked down at Greg with raised eyebrows. Greg looked from Sara to the table, not able to face Grissom. Looking at him would probably remind him of how unlikely the picture was.

"Uh, why don't you go to your office and- wait, no, how 'bout I meet you in the break room in a few? I just need to, uh, clear things up with Greg." Grissom eyed her curiously, but turned and walked away anyway. He walked slowly down the hall as though trying to figure out some mental puzzle.

When Sara knew Grissom was safely out of earshot, she turned back to Greg.

"I want you to trace that email, give me the name. Tell no one that you know about it." Greg nodded in understanding and watched as Sara walked out the door and cautiously made her way in the direction of the break room.

* * *

Not to say that Sara didn't mind the picture, but she did think it was a little extreme. First, she didn't know _how _anyone could, or would, think of such a thing. Second, the many different pictures the entire composition consisted of Sara had never seen before. Whoever created the rather disturbing picture was good. Not to say professional, but they were good.

The bad thing, however, was that the entire lab had a copy of the untrue picture. It was actually rather embarrassing.

"Hey."

Sara jumped as Catherine came around the corner.

"Mind telling me what this is about?" she said slyly, holding up a piece of paper. It was the printed copy of the picture and the question beneath it. Sara's jaw dropped and she snatched it from her hands. Catherine smiled.

"I thought you were with Warrick on a B&E?"

"I was. We finished up there. You know about it? The picture, I mean," she asked as Sara stared at it.

"Yeah. And Greg. And Ecklie. And the rest of the lab. Except Grissom." Catherine's smile faded.

"Ecklie?" Sara swallowed hard and nodded.

"I know. My reactions exactly." She folded the paper neatly and stuck it in her pocket.

"You going to tell him?" Sara was hesitant before answering.

"Not yet."

"Not going to tell me what?"

Sara spun around to face Grissom.

"You're supposed to be in the break room!" She tried to sound calm, but two close calls in less than ten minutes was too much. Grissom merely held up a styrofoam cup in defense.

"No coffee," he said, shaking it slightly. Sara sighed. Grissom had just been passing by at the wrong time. When he walked off without an answer, Sara looked at Catherine, who was smiling again.

"So, why aren't you going to tell him?"

"He'd be horrified! I'm confused right now, though. The pic's obviously made up of several different pictures cut to pieces, and this is definitely me, and that's definitely Grissom, but I swear I've never seen any of them."

"Only way to find out is to trace the address."

"I know. I've already got Greg on it." Catherine nodded and they both fell silent. "I need to go. I'm supposed to meet Grissom in the break room. I told him I had nonexistent leads in this case. Now I have to make some up."

* * *

"Is something wrong?" Sara's head snapped up.

"Wrong? Why would anything be wrong?"

"You just seem tense, that's all. And you haven't told me your leads."

"I'm getting to it," Sara lied. Really, she was shuffling through the papers in her folder looking for something to prove her accident theory. Hell, she'd even take something to disprove her theory, as long as it was some kind of lead. At least that way her lie wouldn't really be a lie. She'd have the lead, she just wouldn't have had it when she said she had.

The problem was, they had been sitting in silence in the break room for over an hour. Sara wasn't successful in trying to find leads of any kind. Having renewed two full pots of coffee, Sara had taken her sweet time getting up to get more coffee and sitting back down. She slowly poured it, slowly added cream, slowly added sugar, slowly stirred it, and slowly sat back down. Stalling for time.

Procrastination is my middle name, she thought bitterly. Shift ended in nearly two hours. There was no way she could stall for time and get out of it for a while. She didn't like the idea of leaving work just to go home to avoid Grissom, but at this point she didn't much care. She just needed to get away from the damning lie of a picture.

Setting down the folder, she stood. "Be right back," she announced before walking quickly from the room. Once she was around the corner down the hall, she began to walk as slowly as possible. The bathroom was just up ahead. She could wait in there.

Sara slowly washed her hands four times, taking extra time to dry thoroughly between her fingers. When she realized she must have taken an extremely long time, she started back for the break room- as slowly as possible. When she got back to the break room, Grissom, his folders, and his coffee cup were gone.

Sara quickly made a break for the lab- the fastest thing she did all night.

* * *

"You find it yet?"

"Actually, I found _them_."

"'Them?'"

"Yep. You heard me. It's a joint account of fifteen people. Never heard of them before. There were only three to have used this e-mail account within the last year, though."

"I know them," Sara stated. "Those are some of Hank's guys. EMT's. Or something like that."

"Well, they apparently aren't out to 'rescue' anyone. Looks like someone's out to get someone fired."

"Don't be so dramatic. I'm sure it's just a prank."

Greg sighed. Sara pulled the folded paper from her pocket.

"You know," she started, "It doesn't matter who sent it. I want to know, I'm curious. But ..."

"Whoever did this may have liked artwork. Looks like a collage to me. Lots of background images, even though it's supposed to depict a sort of bar, I think."

"Look, I'm holding a damn martini glass. I have better taste than that!" Sara laughed. "I'll go down there and question them later." Sara wrote down the names of the EMT's on the back of the folded paper. Looking over the list, she turned it over to the picture.

Sara and Grissom stood together in a rather provocative manner. Apparently they were supposed to be 'dancing' but whatever dance this was, Sara had surely never done it. Grissom and Sara were kissing, Sara with a martini glass in her left hand. Grissom held her left leg to his waist as they were tilted back in Sara's direction. Sara took note of how exposed her leg was: The black 'dress' she 'wore' had seemed to have 'slipped up to her thigh in the act of Grissom 'holding' her leg 'there.'

Sara hastily folded the paper again and turned, giving Greg a hurried thanks. She needed to get home. She needed a drink.

Walking quickly down the hall, she slowed as she neared Grissom's office. His open door gave her the opportunity to see through the crack by the hinges. Grissom sat with his head bent over his many folders. Sara watched for only a few more minutes before walking quickly passed his door and in the direction of the exit.

TBC ...


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Think about it, folks.

**A/N:** Ah, I love the look of reviews in my in-box Thanks to those who've reviewed the first chapter so far. Praise is much welcome, wanted, and needed.

**Chapter 2.**

Sara smoothed out the folded paper on her table and looked over it again. It really was quite unrealistic, if you took both her and Grissom's personality into consideration.

Standing and walking to her refrigerator, she looked for a spot to place it. The freezer and refrigerator doors were covered in magnets, but not much else. Appointment reminders, mostly. She pushed away a group of magnets and placed the picture against the door, tacking magnets to the top and bottom.

Sara stood back to look at the picture once more and laughed. After getting over the initial shock of seeing the picture, she had decided it was funny. She didn't imagine Grissom would think so, but for now, it gave her giggles every time she happened to think about it.

And the fact that Grissom looked considerably younger made it worse. Though not bad looking for his current age, the Grissom in the picture had hair that hadn't been graying so much then as it was now. As she inspected the picture closer, she found Grissom smiling enthusiastically into their "kiss." _Yeah, right. Grissom never gets out and has fun enough to smile like that._

Sara's eyes shifted down to the tiny print below the picture. "What do these two do in their spare time?!" the question read. It at first had possibly been even worse than the picture. After she had given it thought, she decided it was utterly ridiculous. Everyone knew what she did in her spare time. She worked, ate, and drank. Well, maybe not drinking so much as she work and ate, but did people honestly believe she would take time out of her special hobbies to do this?

Guess not, she thought. Did anyone know she had even asked Grissom out? Did anyone know she'd been rejected? Did anyone know how she felt? No, probably not. This was all just some big, prank. Right?

* * *

Grissom sighed and closed the manila folder on his desk, leaning back in his chair. His glasses lying on top of a stack of papers reflected the light from his lamp. His desk was piled high with manila folders and papers long forgotten.

Beginning to look suspiciously like Mt. Everest, he thought, standing. Taking his empty coffee cup from the edge of his desk, he walked from his office and started down the hall. Passing the lab door, he glanced up at the clock.

Shift had ended a few hours ago, but Grissom wasn't ready to go home yet.

There was some reason he needed to stay, some reason his mind wouldn't let him leave just yet ...

But he had absolutely no clue what it was.

He sighed as he walked into the break room, watching as the coffee continued to brew. Someone in day shift must have already come in and started some coffee. Grissom turned to sit on the couch to wait when something caught his eye. A piece of paper taped to the wall next to the door. A piece of paper with a picture on it that looked highly suspicious.

Slowly, Grissom walked to the wall, taking the paper in one hand and gently pulling it from the wall. He and Sara, in a picture he had never taken before, were doing what appeared to be a sexually motivated dance. An alcohol motivated dance.

The picture was obviously comprised of many different photos and had been altered using some sort of computer program, but the Him in the picture was old. Well, young, but he hadn't looked like that in a few years. Sara, however, looked the same as she did at the present.

As the coffee pot beeped, Grissom turned to pour himself a cup. Moments later, Catherine appeared behind him.

"What're you-? Oh." Grissom turned to her, a relaxed look on his face. The one thing that struck Catherine as odd was the paper in his hand- the picture of him and Sara. Why would his mood seem so calm after finding something like this?

"Oh, hello," Grissom said, a faint smile on his face.

"Yeeeah. Hi. Look, about that-"

"What, this?" Grissom held up the paper. "Yes, I'm quite curious."

Catherine almost couldn't bring herself to say it. Almost.

"Someone sent that picture to everyone working in the lab." Grissom, who had started sipping his coffee, stopped. Looking over the rim at her, he lowered to cup to the table.

"Are you telling me-"

"Yes, I'm telling you that everyone has a copy. I mean, obviously it's fake, but it won't stop people from having their thoughts."

Grissom eyed the words below it, the capital print becoming shouts in his mind. "WHAT HAVE THESE TWO BEEN DOING IN THEIR SPARE TIME?!" seemed to frighten him somewhat.

Grissom picked up his coffee cup and, with the paper in hand, walked past Catherine to exit the room.

"What're you going to do?" Catherine asked, turning to him.

"I don't know yet," he answered without stopping. Had his job not been on his mind, the picture would have been much more amusing.

* * *

Sara walked cheerfully down the hall, not giving Grissom's office even the tiniest glance as she past it. She hadn't gotten any sleep during the day, but she figured she could hold out. She had, after all, done it before.

Entering the break room, she reached for a styrofoam cup. The coffee pot was nearly full. Someone must have started a brew and left it there, though it was was still a little while before shift started.

Turning from the room, she prepared to go to the layout room to continue looking at the photos taken at the car crash when she noticed some new additions to the wall. About fifty of them, actually. Fifty on each wall. Pictures of Sara and Grissom. Pictures showing the two CSI's in a provocative dance with a very passionate kiss.

Sara stared at them, almost losing her coffee in the process. She knew everyone knew about the pictures, but she didn't think anyone would go and hang them up around the entire lab! There hadn't been any down the hallway in which Grissom's office was located.

That makes sense, Sara thought bitterly. If I were hanging them up around the lab, I would've avoided anywhere near his office, too.

Sara made a move to begin taking down the papers, but as she got about halfway along the two walls, she stopped. She looked too obvious. Sighing, she stuffed the papers in the nearest trash can and started for the layout room, her coffee still in tow.

Sara knew she should have taken the papers off the wall, but she didn't seem to care much at the moment. Like she wasn't in the mood to be angry. It would compromise both her and Grissom's office life, sure, but at the moment, it wasn't a priority to report.

The case she and Grissom were working was seeming more like an accident than ever, and she knew that it would probably soon be closed.

Setting down the folder of photos she had picked up, Sara grabbed her cup of cold coffee and started for the lab. Upon entering, she noticed two things: Greg was the only one there and shift had already started. Headphones covering his ears and his CD-player blaring so loud Sara could hear it from the doorway, he sat reading a magazine.

Walking up to him, she pulled his headphones down. Greg shot around, startled, and dropped his magazine. Giving Sara a teasing glare, he bent down to pick it up.

"What can I do you for?" he asked, placing his magazine on the table.

"Did you happen to see the hallways this morning? And the bulletin board?"

"Uh, no, I didn't. Why?"

They're all plastered with pictures of me and Grissom. I was wondering if you had anything to do with it."

"Why would I do that to you?" Greg asked. Sara lifted a brow and Greg winced. "That really hurts, Sara."

"Hurts? Ha. Yeah, right. You don't know the meaning of the word 'hurt.'"

"Why, Miss Sidle, I'm thoroughly offended! But no, I didn't see the pictures when I walked in. In which areas are they?"

"Everywhere except here and by Grissom's office. Speaking of which, is Grissom here?"

"Nice move to avoid his office, whichever EMT did the deed." Sara glared at Greg. "Yeah, he's here. I saw him this morning. He was hidden behind a stack of files in his office. Good luck finding him in all that junk. Oh, yeah, if you go over there, be careful. I didn't see his tarantula."

"That would be because I took him for a walk."

Startled, Sara turned quickly and jumped at the sight of Grissom. Her styrofoam cup flew from her hands, the coffee soaking Grissom's shirt.

Grissom stepped back to look down at himself, the brown coffee soaking through his dark sweater. Greg was choking back a laugh while Sara stood with the recently recovered cup in her hand, a terrified look on her face.

"Grissom, I am _so _sorry!" she said. Grissom looked up at her and grunted, looking back down at himself.

"It's okay, I guess. I do have extra clothes."

"At least the coffee's cold, right?" Sara said, trying to take the tension off the situation. It didn't really work. Grissom gave a faint smile. While Sara's face was red, Grissom's beard hid his embarrassment. The only thing that gave him away was the color rising to his ears.

Grissom turned and left the lab. Stepping into the hallway, Sara called out, "Wear the blue shirt, if you have it."

TBC ...

* * *

**A/N:** Coffee makes for good GS situations, whether they're embarrassing or not This chapter was surprisingly short. Not a lot of inspiration in the air.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **If I owned CSI, I'd be giving TPTB a good kick in the ass right now. Since I'm writing this instead, I think it's obvious who has the upper hand here.

**A/N:** Thanks again to my much-needed reviewers.

**Chapter 3.**

Having dropped her coffee over her supervisor probably would have been much more entertaining had it not required him to change his shirt. That actually wouldn't have been so bad (considering Grissom looked amazing in the blue shirt instead of the dark sweater) if he hadn't had to go all the way to the locker room- where more pictures had been posted down the hallway walls and on each individual locker door. All that was left was to sit and wait for Grissom's silent fuming and the photos on the table in front of her to tell her something good before he got back.

New leads meant topic change.

Topic change meant no pictures whatsoever.

Almost.

"Well, hello there, little lady!" Nick said as he strode into the room. _Chipper as usual_, Sara thought bitterly. She merely grunted to acknowledge his presence. He sat on the stool on the other side of the layout table and watched her examine one spot on one picture.

"Uh, anything I can help you with?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, if you could shoot me and find some way to frame Ecklie, that'd be nice."

"I take it you had a bad day?"

"Understatement." Sara looked up at Nick. "You mean you haven't seen them?"

"What, the pictures? Yeah, I've seen them. Posted everywhere in the locker room. Why?" Sara sighed and looked down at the photos again. She began mumbling something, but Nick couldn't understand her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, an EMT created those pictures and sent them to everyone in the lab through email. Ecklie saw it on Greg's computer yesterday, and a little while ago I spilled cold coffee on Grissom."

Nick gave a sympathetic smile to cover his obvious amusement.

"Well, uh ..." Nicky seemed lost for words. "How bad can it be? I mean, they're all gonna find out sooner or later."

"If I have to get publicly humiliated, I'm taking an EMT- and their job- down with me." Sara pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. On it were listed the names of three EMT's. "And since you seem to care so much, Nicky, I'm recruiting both you and Catherine to talk to these guys-" She waved the paper in front of his face. "-about their knowledge of this humiliating email."

"But- hey!" Sara had already gathered her pictures into a folder and was heading out. She stopped and turned.

"Yeah?"

"Why can't you do it?"

"Nick, I'm hurt and embarrassed as it is. Going over there and getting laughed at isn't going to make my day any better. To them, you'll seem like the caring friend of the poor, humiliated CSI. They'll be scared both you and Catherine would kick their asses, anyway. What's wrong with that?"

"Well, nothing, but ... do you know how out of character you just placed yourself?"

"Yeah, but they don't."

Grissom pulled the shirt away from his chest as he walked toward the locker room. The cold coffee smelled bad, but having the feeling of it soaking through his cotton sweater was almost unbearable.

He turned down the hallway to trek towards the locker room when he noticed two women standing near the door. They looked up when he stopped and began to giggle, turning and walking in the opposite direction as quickly as possible.

His look of curiosity turned to that of annoyance as he saw what the source of amusement had been. A few papers with the picture of him and Sara littered the floor, and the walls were covered with them. He picked the papers off the floor and walked into the locker room to change, stuffing the ones in his hand into the trash.

That morning when he had found the one picture in the break room, he figured he could throw it away, go home, and everything would be back to normal when he returned in the evening. He had never expected the situation of having one picture hanging to morph into fifty pictures in every hallway. He had seen them next to the break room that morning, of course, but none near his own office. Seeing them now wasn't so much a shock as it had been before, but rather had become a source of constant irritation.

He attracted stares and grins, even from the secretary when he asked if he had messages.

When Grissom found that he was fumbling with the lock, he calmed himself down to finally open it. Folded neatly on the shelf was his extra pair of black pants and two shirts. Slipping the wet sweater over his head, he put it in a plastic bag from the bottom of his locker. He picked up the blue shirt to reach for the one beneath it, but Sara's words came to his mind. "Wear the blue shirt, if you have it," she had said. Grissom left the second sweater in his locker, unbuttoning the blue one to slip it on.

If it's the blue she wants, it's the blue she gets.

Grissom had only just finished buttoning the shirt when his pager went off. Peering at the screen, he gave a sigh of relief. It was only Jacqui with the fingerprints he sent in. He feared it may have been someone like Hodges or Greg, and he really wasn't in the mood to talk to either of them.

Rolling up his sleeves, Grissom left the locker room, attempted to ignore the pictures that surrounded him.

"What do you mean, they all took today off?!" Nick said, looking from the EMT to Catherine and back again.

"You heard me. They all took their vacation today."

Since when does saving lives need a vacation?

"They were permitted leave for three days. Try back then."

Nick eyed the man with a disapproving eye and turned to walk away. After Catherine thanked the EMT, she followed.

"Well, Sara won't be happy, to say the least."

Nick scoffed.

"Well, I don't think understatements can get any bigger after saying that." Catherine looked sideways at Nick.

"I think you're more broken up about this than they are." Nick looked at Catherine.

"They?" Nick said, stopping dead in his tracks. Catherine realized her mistake quickly and covered it up almost seamlessly.

"I mean she ... More broken up than Sara is."

"That's not what you said," Nick said stubbornly, catching up with her. "You said 'they,' implying you mean more than one person, or more than just Sara. Cath, what's goin' on?"

Catherine hesitated before replying. She stopped and turned to Nick. "The other day I saw Grissom in the break room with a copy of the infamous fake photo in his hand. Now, we know normally Grissom would have been all over it, but he wouldn't have shown it as much as anyone else in the same situation. We know Grissom doesn't get unhinged about stuff like the rest of us. He seemed calm when I saw him, though, and if I wouldn't have known better I would've said he didn't care about a portion of Las Vegas seeing it. And Sara ... you know her. She should have - normally would have - exploded all over this little prank those asshole EMT's are pulling, but she didn't, did she?"

Catherine watched a silent Nick and continued walking.

"So what I meant was, you more surprised and angry by the pictures than either of them."

"Well, yeah, but ... I mean, Sara's my friend. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try to show my emotional support?"

"Grissom's my friend, but you don't see me getting that much involved."

"Yeah," Nick said, "like Griss would really let you get involved." Catherine, with her arms folded across her chest, looked at Nick in mock surprise.

"You'd be surprised how persuasive I can be." Nick stopped again and Catherine turned, a look of confusion on her face. "What now?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I just imagined you as a show girl showing off your 'persuasive' ways by giving Grissom a lap dance in his office ..."

Catherine glared. "I wouldn't take the risk of dancing around his bugs. They have eyes, too."

Sara tapped her pen nervously on the table top, examining photo after photo of tread marks. She saw them, but she didn't _see_ them.

"You know, I'm beginning to think you're right." Sara looked up to see Grissom walking into the room. A folder in hand, he was looking down at the papers within.

"That's something I sure don't hear every day." Grissom looked over his glasses at Sara.

"What are you doing?"

"Examining the tire treads." Sara picked up a photo and looked at it closely. "The treads lead up to a crash that looks like your standard, every-day, guy-falls-asleep-behind-the-wheel-at-two-in-the-morning car crash. Guy dozes off with his kid in the back seat, realizes with a jerk of the car that he's swerving, breaks, and runs right through an over-pass rail and onto a low-traffic road below that. Not unique. 'Sides, I didn't see anything of a motive, seeing as he was still in the car when it crashed and I don't think he wanted to kill himself with his child in the back. The guy was pretty shaken up."

"The actual criminals are often the most believable."

Sara yawned. "Yeah, I hear you."

There was a sort of awkward pause between the two, broken by Grissom's invitation. "Wanna go grab some breakfast? My treat."

Sara laughed. "I think I'll pass for today, but thanks anyway. Make it a rain check. Maybe my grace and coffee skills will be improved by then." She began to gather up her photos, realizing for the first time that her request hadn't gone denied.

"You're wearing the blue."

"It's what you wanted." Sara looked up at him for a moment.

"Good. It brings out the, uh, color of your eyes." Grissom watched as Sara walked from the room.

Sara had rounded the corner and was about to exhale the breath she'd been holding when she noticed Nick and Catherine coming in her direction. From Nick's disappointed look, things hadn't run well.

"So, guys, how'd it go?" she said hopefully. Nick gave a sideways glance at Catherine before shifting his eyes to Sara's feet.

"Well, not good, actually. Coincidentally, the three EMT's thought to have had a part in the sending of the email requested a three-day vacation last night. They were off today and won't return until Monday."

When Nick didn't continue, Catherine folded her arms once more.

"We think that, since they took this chance to request vacation time, they know that we have been investigating this ordeal somewhat, and know we're on their tail."

"Well, we already know who did it. What? You think someone's leaking information?"

Sara looked at Catherine, who had an eyebrow lifted.

"Well, it is a definite possibility."

Sara groaned. "Very few people know we're looking into this. I mean, it's just you two, me, and Greg."

"And Grissom," Catherine said. Sara looked at her.

"Griss ... um, h-he knows?" Catherine nodded.

"Someone had taped a copy in the break room and he happened to come across it when he poured himself some coffee." Sara gave a louder, frustrated groan.

"I don't even know why I'm reacting like this," she said, leaning her back against the wall. "I knew he'd see them eventually. I mean, he did go to the locker room earlier."

"Why would it be such a bad thing?" Nick asked. "F-for him to see them, I mean?" Sara glared.

"Nick, if I didn't think Grissom would have a cow if he saw them, I wouldn't be so aggravated. You guys know him. He'd be super-pissed, but you'd never guess until he talked about it to you, which he hardly ever does."

"So, what, you want us to take the pics down?" Sara was silent. Catherine eyed her and then Nick.

"That'd look a little desperate, wouldn't it? In any case, the damage has already been done. If someone important were to walk in, they'd get the picture whether or not they noticed the pictures on the walls.

"What really makes me angry is Ecklie saw the pictures, threatened to report Greg, and has the ability to get so far under Grissom's skin it's hard to get him out."

"You're not drinking coffee, are you?" called a voice from down the hall. Realizing what Grissom meant, Sara forced a weak smile.

"I'm all coffeed out for another few hours, thanks." Grissom gave a small chuckle as he walked toward them.

"Catherine? What are you doing here? I thought I had you on a case with Warrick?"

"Uh, yeah, we finished up. The report's on your desk." Taking Catherine's stomp on the foot and the jerk of her head in the opposite direction as a subtle hint, Nick followed the older CSI away from Sara and Grissom.

"Yeeeah ..." Grissom muttered, watching them go. He turned to Sara. "I may have solved our case, and I'd like to say that we were heading in the wrong direction the whole time." He held out his hand. "If you'd follow me-?" Sara looked at his outstretched hand and back at him, a small smile on her face. She nodded, her hands in her pockets. Grissom slowly put his hand back by his side and lead Sara through the halls.

**TBC ...**

**A/N:** Ya'll know the blue shirt I was talking about, right? Right. sigh For fifty, ya know ... :) :D XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Do people actually read these things?

**A/N:** Who would have guessed a fourteen-year-old brain would attract so much praise for fiction Thanks much, everyone!  And BTW, sorry I forgot to put the scene change markers in the last chapter.

To rokothepas: Alas, Grissom in his youth, the wonders of season 1 Grissom-ness ... so few gray hairs ;;

**Chapter 4.**

Sara and Grissom sat in silence, Grissom staring down a microscope. He hadn't yet said a word of their investigation, and Sara was getting more and more impatient by the minute. She sat staring at him, her chin resting in her palm. She watched him turning the knob of the scope, switching the plates, and turning the knob again.

"You know, I really don't get you," she said.

"No one really 'gets' anything, Sara," replied Grissom, not lifting his face from the microscope.

"Well, you mind explaining to me what you brought me in here for? You said we were both heading in the wrong directions to start with. Care to elaborate?"

"I'm getting to it. Give me a minute." Sara sighed and opened the folder sitting on the table in front of her. Flipping lazily through it, she examined Grissom's neat scrawl of notes.

"In there you will find," he began, "my point. I figured the crash was premeditated to end as killings and you thought it was a mere accident. It was a little bit of both." Grissom still hadn't looked up from the microscope.

"You remember the foot prints we found in the bushes right off the road?"

"Yeah," Sara said, looking down at the photograph she had taken of the prints. "What about them?"

"We ID'd the owner. Seems he may have originally left a decoy- a fake dog to be precise- in the middle of the road to distract a car he had timed to be at that exact spot-"

"By timing them every day they went there?"

"Yep."

"Talk about premeditated."

"Well, the car that was supposed to be veered off course at the sight of the life-like dog had been late due to a flat, and the car that happened upon the decoy was almost the same as the car the decoy was meant for. Made by the same company, had the same color even, but the model was a couple years different. Easy to get confused in the dark."

"Motive?"

"Car that was supposed to see the decoy was being driven by the suspect's boss, who had fired him the previous year."

"Ouch." There was a pause. "So what are you looking at?"

"The suspect wouldn't actually confess much- Nick and I made our own deductions- but I picked up a finger print from the decoy we found discarded a few miles away and it appears to match his. I'll probably run it through AFIS, though."

"Wouldn't confess much? What did he say?"

"He said he saw the decoy, knew what it was for, knew the motive, but swore he'd never touched it."

Sara gave an exasperated sigh. "Is it just me or do criminals get dumber every day?" Grissom chuckled.

"Criminals must be getting dumber, because it's definitely not you."

Sara looked up at Grissom, who was still looking through the microscope. A small smile was clearly tugging at the corners of his mouth.

* * *

Sara gave a defeated sigh. She had told Grissom that she didn't 'get' him and had intended a point to go with the topic, but she succeeded in veering herself off-course once more.

To tell the truth, she 'got' him a lot more than he realized. The opening statement that should have started a conversation about their current "position" made her feel foolish. Really, she wanted to start easing herself into asking him about the pictures, but obviously that plan of action had failed. She'd have to come up with another approach to an oh-so-sensitive topic. Well, sensitive to Grissom. It was down-right hilarious to her.

At the thought of the picture tacked to her refrigerator door, Sara giggled. Only when she entered the break room did she notice that the pictures had been taken down from the surrounding walls.

"Hey." Sara turned to see Warrick standing in the doorway. "Heard you, Griss, and Nick solved your case."

"Well, Grissom and Nick did. Said the guy who crashed was in the right place at the wrong time."

Warrick laughed. "I guess you've been a little preoccupied lately." Sara didn't need an elaboration to know to what he was referring. She smiled.

"Yeah, I have been."

"I helped Nick take them down earlier. He said it would have just been a distraction to both you and Grissom." A silence fell between them for only a few moments. "Speaking of Grissom, have you-?"

"No. I tried, failed miserably." Warrick chuckled.

"Ya know, maybe he doesn't so much mind it?"

Sara was about to explain to Warrick that if Grissom was as caught up in his work as he had been when she asked him out, then surely he would be infuriated about this. Then she remembered that no one knew she had asked Grissom out, and now wasn't the time to forget self-humiliation. Telling Warrick about the rejection would probably make it worse.

"I think you should just-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Me? Talk to Grissom about that? No way. He gets uncomfortable just being around me. Talking about a sex-charged dance that never was danced by the two of us- together- would probably give him a heart attack."

"You gotta give the guy a little more credit than that," Warrick said. "He isn't totally sex-less. He's not as anti-everything as he seems. He has a way to detach himself. Sure he'd get uncomfortable talking about it, but add a little humor and who knows?"

"I know, and I'm not going there. It'll smooth over eventually when Nick and Cath get to go question those EMT guys.

"So if the EMT's did do it, it's okay. If they didn't, then you're shit out of luck. It's not lookin' good for you."

"Well, it won't be _okay _for them. I'll hand them off to Grissom and let him deal." Warrick let out a full laugh.

"You're just going to embarrass him like that? They'd probably laugh him to high Heaven!"

"Like you said, he finds ways to detach himself."

* * *

Grissom knew he was attracted odd stares and giggles from nearly everyone he passed, but he did his best to ignore it. He was relieved to find the break room full of his team of CSI's and void of any humiliating pictures. Seeing Sara, however, made him blush furiously. This didn't make his serious expression falter.

"Picked up a case from day shift. Sexual assault of an elementary school student. History teacher is the prime suspect, but there's a large number of people who could have done it or seen it. Sara, Warrick, you're with me. Nick, Catherine, you two have a DB at a grocery store."

"Oh, goody," Catherine said, taking the paper from Grissom. As she and Nick left the room, Warrick looked at Grissom. He sat fuming in his chair, looking down at a folder. He always got angry with cases of infants and children who were abused.

Trying to ease the tension, Warrick said, "So, should we get started?" Standing, Grissom nodded. Warrick and Sara followed.

Grissom looked up from the case file in his hand as he walked, tucking it under his arm. They were headed for the layout room. Because Ecklie had handed the case to graveyard, it had been partially investigated. The photos taken at the crime scene, questions asked of bystanders and the suspects, and the testimonies of the little girl and her parents were in the folder.

Grissom walked around to the far side of the large, lighted table; Warrick and Sara stayed standing on the opposite side. Laying the folder down, Grissom took the photos and began to place them out on the table.

First were the pictures of foot prints found around the crime scene where the young girl was found unconscious by a large group of classmates and teachers. Grissom hadn't been able to go any farther when his phone began to ring. Looking at the screen for a moment, he answered it.

"Grissom ... yeah ... I'm kind of ... right now?" Grissom closed his phone, looking up angrily. "I'll be right back. I want you two to continue laying out the pictures."

With that, Grissom left. Warrick looked sideways at Sara, who shrugged.

"Whatever it was must have been very important for Grissom to walk away from such an important case," Warrick said. He walked around the table to where Grissom had previously been standing and began to lay out the pictures once more. He stopped when he came to a single white piece of paper that had been placed between photos.

"What is it?" Sara said as he peered at it. Warrick carefully held it up. Sara's mouth fell open and she turned a furious shade of scarlet as she saw it. She sat back on the stool next to her and buried her red face in her hands, the heat radiating from them as well.

The picture of her and Grissom dancing she'd been able to handle. But this? She didn't know if she'd be able to get over the image in her head.

Instead of the "OK" picture of Grissom and Sara dancing together, there was now a picture of Sara practically on top of her boss in his office chair. Below the horrifying picture were the words, "GUESS THEY DID GET A ROOM ..."

TBC ...

**A/N:** Short, I know. I actually planned on it to be longer than this, but the following scene will have to wait til next chapter :) I think it was better to drop it off here anyway. Sorry for the lack of length though!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **insert hysterical laugh here

**A/N:** Bigger delay, yah? Sorry. I've been totally too damn lazy to write anything lately. All I've been doing is sending emails (for I am a pathological email checker oO) like crazy and ... well, flirting with my neighbor :) It's worth it, right? Right. Anyway, enjoy. I personally like the end

**Chapter 5.** (wow, already?)

Sara only barely managed to look up again at the paper Warrick was still staring at. She reach out and took it, quickly tearing it into pieces.

"Hey, now!" Warrick started. Sara glared at him.

"I can't believe someone would do this!" said Sara angrily. Warrick gave a small chuckle.

"I think it's probably a good thing Grissom walked out before he saw it."

"Saw what?" Warrick turned sharply while Sara turned red.

"Oh, uh ..." Warrick fell silent. He then gave a nervous laugh. "It was, eh ..." Obviously he wasn't good at giving stories under such pressure.

"Let's get to work," Sara said firmly, standing from the stool and continuing to spread out the pictures. Grissom raised an eyebrow at the both of them and shrugged, making his way to stand a few feet away from Sara.

* * *

Sara sat at her kitchen table, the shredded pieces of the picture laying before her in a pile. After regular shift ended, Warrick had convinced her to go home. She could think about the case there without having to put up with Grissom and the fact that the newest picture on her mind Grissom knew nothing about. Not to say that she herself didn't mind looking at the picture- it wasn't like it was an unpleasant sight- it was just terribly embarrassing and it had startled her at first.

When Grissom had arrived in the layout room, Sara stuffed the pieces of paper in her coat pocket. Now she was trying to smooth them out and put the picture back together. A roll of Scotch tape and a larger piece of paper near to her, she started with what she thought were the outer edges and gradually moved in.

With the completed form taped to the extra paper, she was able to get a full, closer view of it. Sighing angrily, she stood and picked up her phone, quickly dialing Catherine's cell phone number.

"Willows," came the familiar voice.

"Hey, Cath, it's Sara. Are you busy?"

"Just driving home, why?"

"Oh. So ... you haven't talked to those EMT's?"

"No ... I though we told you they were on vacation?"

"You did, I just ..." There was a brief pause between the two.

"Sara? Something wrong?" Sara hesitated before replying.

"We- Warrick and I- were in the layout room with the pictures from the case that was handed down from day shift. Grissom left the room with what I'm guessing was an urgent phone call. Warrick found an-another picture." Sara stopped there. She didn't think she'd be able to tell Catherine the details of it- it was too funny. "I-I have it here."

"I'll be right there," Catherine said slowly before hanging up. Sara set her phone back in its cradle and sat down to wait.

* * *

When a heavy knock came to her door, Sara jumped up. She knew it was Catherine, and quickly rushed to her door to throw it open. Catherine walked in, Sara guiding her to the kitchen where the picture still lay taped together on the table.

Catherine sat with the paper held away from her face, examining it. Sara sat across from her, waiting nervously. After what seemed like an eternity, Catherine finally spoke.

"You know, that case had been handed down directly from day shift to Grissom. Grissom was the only night shift worker who touched the file."

"You're saying it was someone from days?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Know anyone who would be out to get you or Grissom?" Catherine immediately regretted asking. Sara scoffed sarcastically. "Okay, never mind answering that." There was a pause once more, lengthy and silent.

"Why would EMT's have their hands on case files?" Sara asked slowly.

"Hm?"

"The email address of the previous picture was the address of some EMT's. If this picture was intentionally placed in the file, whoever put it there knew Grissom was going to handle the case. It wouldn't be a bunch of idiot EMT's."

Catherine looked up at Sara, her mouth open slightly.

"So ... Ecklie? Someone from his team?" Sara nodded.

"Maybe someone favored, someone who wasn't supervised much." Catherine leaned forward, her elbow on the table, still looking down at the picture in her hands. But someone may have paid the EMT's ..."

"I doubt it. They're CSI's. You'd figure they'd know we'd find out sooner or later," Sara said.

"Think Grissom would know?"

* * *

Grissom sat at his desk, staring irritably at the impossibly large and over-stuffed envelope that lay in the only clear spot of desk in sight. It (the envelope) would have been comical if Grissom hadn't been in such a foul mood. Actually, it probably wouldn't have been that funny a sight anyway, considering Ecklie had pulled him away from an urgent case just to give it to him in person, as he had said. Why he couldn't have just put it on his desk was a mystery to Grissom. Taking a look around, however, he figured it probably would have gotten lost and never been seen again.

What Grissom really wanted to know, however, was who this package was really from. Ecklie had handed it over, saying he was told to pass it on. He had not hinted at who it may have been who wanted the envelope in Grissom's hands.

Picking it up, he fumbled with it before tearing it apart. Inside, he found tiny, folded pieces of paper. Glaring angrily down at the tiny papers he had poured onto his desk, he sighed. Some joke.

Peering at the folded papers closely, he noted they were tinged with color, most likely from ink on the other side. Picking one of them up, he slowly began unfolding it. He smoothed it out when he had finished and found it was a part of his face and left shoulder. Suddenly interested, he furiously began to unfold the other pieces.

When he had finished and spaced them apart, he saw now that it was a picture. Scattered here and there were pieces of himself and Sara, sometimes close together. Clearing more space from his desk, he made sure the tape was near. He began setting the picture back together.

* * *

Sara yawned. She hadn't got a wink of sleep while at home.

After talking to Catherine, they decided Sara would talk to Grissom, even if the old wimp got uncomfortable about it. Sara, however, cowered out of it as soon as she saw him working furiously on something behind a leaning mountain of papers in his office.

Catherine had gone home when she left Sara's apartment, but Sara went straight back to work. She figured her excuse would consist of both Warrick and Grissom still working on the case, and Sara just felt guilty about them being at the lab while she got to sleep at home.

It was Catherine's idea, of course.

At the thought of Catherine, Sara felt a pang of guilt. Cath had masterfully come up with this seemingly flawless plan, and here Sara was backing out of it. _Can't blame me, right? It is a lot harder than it seems,_ she falsely assured herself. She just didn't want to do it while Catherine was in the building, though that, too, seemed foolish.

Since Grissom was obviously angry and preoccupied in his office, Sara thought the wise thing to do at the moment was find Warrick. First, however, she had to catch a cup of coffee. Stepping into the break room, she saw a blonde woman pouring two cups of coffee. The woman stepped away and Sara moved in to pour her own.

The woman stood to the side, the cups in her hands, watching Sara with a sly smile. Sara glanced up, then to her cup, and back toward the woman.

"Big case?" Sara asked, trying to ease some of the one-sided tension.

"Oh, no, I'm just here to see Dr. Grissom," the woman replied. She gave Sara a nasty smirk and turned, leaving the room. Sara stared uncomfortably after her.

She didn't much like Sofia Curtis.

* * *

The door to Grissom's office opened, and he quickly took a stack of papers from the teetering tower and placed them on top of his unfinished work, hiding it from the woman who had entered. How she had managed to come in with a cup of coffee in each hand, he doubt he'd ever figure out.

She sat in the chair in front of his desk, giving him one of the cups she had held. She leaned back and crossed her legs, sipping her coffee. She watched him for a long few minutes before speaking.

"What's that you have?" she asked slyly. Grissom looked down. Did she know what he had been doing?

"Just some paperwork," he answered politely. The woman- Sofia, wasn't it?- only broadened her smile and took another long sip of coffee. She watched his nervous form over the rim of her cup, as though she knew he was lying.

"I suppose you know what I'm here for?"

"I do," Grissom said with a curt nod, his arms folded. His cup of coffee sat forgotten next to him.

"Well, before we get to that, I want to ask you some personal questions."

"If these questions do not extend beyond the boundary of my liking, I may answer them."

"Such gracefully used words, Dr. Grissom," said Sofia, lowering her now half-empty cup (she drinks fast, doesn't she?) to her lap, tilting it back and forth to the sides lightly. Grissom didn't respond. She cleared her throat lightly. "What is your relationship with your subordinate Sara Sidle?" When she finished her sentence, she slowly lifted the cup once more to her lips and pretended to take a sip as she watched him over the rim.

Grissom's expression soured even more, if that was possible.

"Did Conrad Ecklie put you up to this?" he said, trying to conceal the anger in his voice.

Sofia gave a small giggle. "To ask you questions, no. I'm only asking out of mere curiosity."

"Why would you care about my personal life?" Sofia didn't answer. There was a lengthy, awkward silence between them. Grissom sat fuming while Sofia sat aglow with delight. "Can we just get to business, please?"

* * *

Grissom huffed angrily as he walked into the break room and headed directly for the coffee maker. It was only half finished brewing a new cup of coffee. He stared at it as though glaring would make it go faster, when he heard a grunt- or a snort- from somewhere nearby. Turning around, he saw Sara stretching in her sleep. Her shoes on the floor beside her, he could see her toes flexing, her arms stretching behind her head.

She gave another strained groan of pleasure, followed by a soft thump as she hit the floor.

**A/N:** :) I guess you could say that this chapter and the next chapter ... hell, maybe even the rest of the story, will be touched here and there with spoilers from 11/25's episode Mea Culpa (get spoilers and a spoilerific article at in her wonderful spoiler section). Comments and criticism welcome, wanted, much needed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Jingle bells, jingle bells, TPTB suck butt. Oh what fun it is to see that good ol' GS smut! (yes, it's sung in the tune to the ever-irritating "Jingle Bells" XP)

**A/N:** :) I'm such a poet. Get in the Christmas spirit, folks! (you know, or Hannukah, or Kwanzaa, or ... whatever the hell you celebrate ... don't even know if I spelled those right.) Please don't sue me for saying that ... Anyway, don't you guys go and let that "Submit Review" button start collecting dust ... you know how they're allergic to that stuff. Enjoy.

**Chapter 6.**

Sara sat up and stretched. She looked around at her surroundings and realized with a horrifying jolt that she had fallen asleep in the break room, open to the public. Quickly pulling on her shoes, she realized she was on the couch. For some reason, she had the feeling she had fallen off during her cat nap.

Apparently not. Why else would she still be on the couch?

* * *

Grissom set his head down hard on top of a small pile of manila folders. After getting caught by a day shift lab tech, Grissom had walked as fast as he could to hide behind his many jars of bugs in his office. He had been fully prepared to hide inside one of the broom closets, but thought better of it.

After the picture incident, which he had come to unconsciously call the Picture-Perfect moments (ironic, ain't it?), he really didn't need to be seen like that, least of all with Sara Sidle.

_Flashback - we love these things, don't we?_

_Grissom watched Sara stretch, flexing her toes and stretching her arms. She groaned, and had soon rolled from the couch and to the floor. He stepped towards her cautiously, leaning forward to peer over the coffee table. She still lay sleeping._

_Sighing, Grissom set down his coffee cup and moved to pick Sara's sleeping form up from the floor. He turned her over and slipped one arm around her back, the other behind her knees. He shifted over slightly to lay her gently down on the couch when a sharp gasp caused him to turn._

_One of the lesser-known day shift techs stood in the doorway. Grissom had made a small motion with his feet to run after him as he ran down the hallway, but when he felt Sara almost slip from his grasp, he thought better of it. He turned and hastily- maybe too hastily- set Sara back on the couch. He quickly fled the break room, his empty coffee cup sitting forgotten._

_End Flashback - oh, damn. It was so fun, too_

Grissom sighed irritably at the thought of the embarrassing scene that had occurred not ten minutes ago. He felt almost ashamed when he thought of how he had relished the feel of Sara sitting comfortable in the crooks of his arms.

He shook his head roughly, as though it would dispel any thought of Sara from his mind, as he stood to go back to the break room. First he would make sure Sara wasn't there. Then he would rescue his empty cup of coffee.

* * *

Catherine saw through the glass Warrick and Nick throwing the football around the break room. Apparently, it helped them think about whatever it was they were talking about. It seemed the topic was a good one, too, for how fiery they sounded as she walked in.

"What's up?" she said, watching the football sail right past Warrick's head as he turned to look at her. Nick grinned.

"Nothing much," said Nick as he watched Warrick move to pick up the football. Catherine sat on the couch, Nick sitting next to her. "We were just talking." He flashed Warrick another broad grin.

"Ooh, must have been something good. Can I ask what it was about?" Catherine was pleased to have finally asked, considering Nick looked like he was going to wet himself if he didn't tell her about it.

"A day shift lab tech saw something interesting in here earlier," he said proudly. Catherine looked at him for a moment.

"Nick, you almost exploded trying to tell me what it is that got you two excited and now you won't explain it?"

"We're getting to it," Nick said, a look of mock sorrow on his face. Warrick rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I don't know what really went on, we kinda heard it being passed down- you know how that works. But someone said they saw Grissom ... uh, holding Sara, said it looked like he was trying to put her on the couch there." Catherine slapped a hand to her forehead. First the humiliating pictures, now this. "I heard it looked pretty suspicious."

"You guys know just as much as I do that whatever Grissom does have a different meaning than what we'd expect."

"Good luck getting him outta this situation, Cath," Nick said as Warrick tossed him the football once more.

"What does Sara say about this gossip?" Warrick and Nick looked at each other.

"I don't think Sara knows," replied Nick innocently. There was silence between them for a few short moments. Catherine stood and started for the door.

"Well, Nick, since you care so much about this, you can tell her about it." Catherine didn't give him a chance for defense as she left. Warrick stood grinning at Nick, a sadly confused look on his face.

"But-"

"Dude, just do it. It'll all be over once you finish." Warrick gave the football to Nick and he, too, left.

"Well, that made since," Nick said after him, looking down at the football in his hands.

* * *

Sara had bumped into Brass in the hallway (lucky she was coffee-free, eh?), who had been out to see her anyway. After informing her that their prime suspect had just come up with a confession to sexually harassing his sixth grade student, they went to collect Grissom to go see the alleged molester. They found him walking carefully and cautiously toward his office, a fresh cup of the usual putty in his hand.

"Hey, Griss!" Sara called as she started to catch up with him. He jumped, stopping in his tracks, and Sara gave a laugh as she realized he had almost sloshed his coffee all down his front. He gave her a somewhat sarcastic smile as she approached, a broad grin on her face.

"Almost pulled a Sara there, didn't you, Gil?" Brass said teasingly, having heard about the incident a few days ago. He turned his attention to Brass.

"What do you got?" he said, opening his office door. He sat behind his desk, and Sara and Brass stood in front of it.

"Suspect of your case made a big confession. Apparently it wasn't the only time this happened. Used to be a resident in New York, had a couple little incidents over there, too." Grissom nodded, taking a small sip of coffee.

"Meet you outside in ten?" he said to Sara, who nodded.

"What about Warrick?" Sara asked, turning to Brass.

"I'll inform him. He can met you two over there." Without giving either a chance to say otherwise, Brass had gone.

* * *

Sara was waiting by Grissom's Denali when he arrived. She smiled smoothly, as always, but made no comment of him being late. He fumbled with his keys for several moments before finally finding the right one. When Sara opened the door and hoisted herself into the seat, he took the opportunity to steal a glimpse of her.

He had enjoyed holding her in his arms those few precious seconds earlier in the day, but he wondered how she would react if she knew he had done that. If she felt the same as she had a few years ago, then she probably wouldn't mind. _God, I hope she still feels that way, _he thought, climbing into the Denali and starting the engine. _Just give me time, Sara. Oh, wait, that's the first thing she gave you, dumbass. _Who was he kidding? It'd been two or three years since she'd asked him out. No way she still felt that way.

The ride to the precinct had been quiet but comfortable. With the heater going, it felt cozy. There was no music, but the silence was good enough. To Grissom's troubled mind, it seemed to him that Sara's constant irritation of him had become so that she wouldn't even talk to him, though he knew that wasn't true. To Sara, Grissom was uncomfortable being alone with her, and the silence was a symbol of the respect she had for his not wanting to speak. Truth was, Grissom's will to not tell Sara how he really felt was crumbling into tiny little pieces on the floorboard beneath his feet,

The ride back from the precinct was much more disturbing to the both of them. After hearing the criminal's past convictions of the killings of a few small children and the assault and rape of others from ten to sixteen years old, they had left, the guy being taken out by about four guards. Sara and Grissom continued back to the Denali, where Sara currently sat huddled against the door, facing away from Grissom, staring at his reflection against the window. A downpour had started, and his concentration was fully on the road in front of him. Or so she thought.

Grissom kept stealing sideways glances at her. He knew cases such as these disturbed her, possibly as much as they disturbed him, but he couldn't find anything comforting to say to her. Then he remembered it was raining.

"Hey, Sar, remember that rain check on dinner you promised?" When Sara heard his words she pictured a formal dinner, then remembered this was Grissom. She nodded.

"Sure, why not?" she said. Grissom wasn't entirely comfortable with her answer. He liked that she had agreed to it, but the lack of conviction that was so glaringly obvious in someone like Sara disappointed him. He wanted to get something to eat with her because it was something they hadn't done by themselves in a while, but he wanted her to be happy about it.

"We don't have to if you don't want to, you know," he said, casting more nervous glances her way. She turned to him, a small smile on her face.

"Griss, I said I would." He nodded. "Is that diner next to the lab okay?" _No,_ he thought bitterly. _What I- well, we- don't need right now is a bunch of our techs out on break seeing us eating alone and making their own assumptions based on ... _He stopped thinking about it when he realized he was going to start rambling inside his head.

Pulling into the parking lot, he hopped out of the car and waited for Sara. He stood with his hands in his coat pocket looking at the diner before him. One day he hoped to take Sara to a nice, formal restaurant, not some dumb diner.

"Griss?" Grissom felt a hand on his shoulder and turned. "Are we going in or aren't we?" she said uncertainly. He nodded and let her lead him inside.

* * *

Warrick had been in the observation room when Sara and Grissom talked to the sick bastard who had assaulted the kid in their case. Getting fed up with the bullshit he had tried to feed them about being sorry for everything, Warrick left for the lab.

He ran into Nick almost immediately. "Hey, where's Cath?" Warrick asked.

"Where's Sara?" Nick said it almost regretfully.

"Precinct," replied Warrick. Nick gave a relieved sigh. "Cath?" he tried again.

"Eh, I think she might be in the break room again, something about a-"

"You up for something to eat? I'm starving." Nick looked startled at his sudden out-of-place question.

"Uh, yeah, I could use food and a decent cup of coffee."

"Great, lemme go get Catherine."

After collecting Catherine, the three left out. It was about time for breakfast, anyway. The problem was, the three couldn't decide on where to eat.

"I say that diner just up the road. They have great eggs." Nick nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay with that." Giving a defeated sigh, Warrick changed lanes.

"You guys better be glad that place is budget-friendly." Catherine gave a laugh, but it faded when she noticed another Denali parked a short distance away.

"You don't think that's-"

"Nah, they're probably still at the precinct," Warrick assured her. "I bet it's just coincidence."

Seated in a rather strategic booth near the door of the diner, the three ordered their coffee and breakfasts. When the waitress had returned with their cups, Nick had been in the process of staring at her rear when he noticed something just to the left of her.

"Hey, guys," Nick started, looking up as the waitress walked away. "Look who it is." Catherine and Warrick turned their heads simultaneously to look in the direction Nick had nodded. "Coincidence, huh?" They saw part of Sara's face and Grissom's front. He looked kind of nervous.

"Oh, don't make mountains out of mole hills. I'm sure they're just having a friendly breakfast," Warrick said, although he didn't believe even himself.

* * *

Sara sipped at her coffee while they waited for breakfast to come. Grissom hadn't touched his coffee, but instead took to staring out the window, a small smile on his face. Desperate to start a conversation, Sara began on the first thing that came to her mind.

"WhatdoyouwantforChristmas?" she said hurriedly. He looked from something on the other side of the window (probably some bug) to Sara, his head cocked slightly to the side.

"Huh?" he asked in confusion. Sara turned a light shade of pink.

"I-I mean," she stammered. "What do you want for Christmas? As a gift, you know." Grissom watched her for a minute. _More than I'll ever be able to tell you. _

"For Christmas? I haven't really thought about it."

_Yes! New topic!_

"You haven't thought about what you want for Christmas?!" Sara said it as though it were a very repulsive thought. "That's not normal, Griss."

"Not a normal person, remember? You said it yourself." Sara gave a small laugh. Grissom grinned and looked out the window once more. Neither of them said anything more until the waitress had come with their orders. Grissom looked up at Sara from his eggs, bacon, and toast.

"So, Sara, what do you want for Christmas?"

TBC ...

**A/N:** What do ya'll think Sara's gonna say?? :) Oh, yeah, before I forget, tell me who you think is sending those "horrid" pictures around!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **:shakes fist at Easter Chicken: You had better bring me the DVD's in my basket this year! I don't own anything yet, sadly :(Nothing here is mine, except the storyline which is going next to no where.

**A/N:** It's been more than two months since my last update, sorry about that. If you've read either my profile or my blog since then, you'd know what's going on with my dad's sudden desire to switch computers. Now I have basic word pad ... no 602Text, no Microsoft Works ... just word pad oO I'm gonna go insane ... sorry for any spelling errors, for the wonderful word pad doesn't come with a checker. Any other errors are also my fault, due to a non-responsive beta. If anyone wants to beta for me (for I shall be updating again with this new burst of energy and illness, where I had the miraculous idea of copying the chapters from the site to a floppy I know, I'm slow.) email me, don't just say it in a review. You'll get credit at the beginning of every chapter you beta, I promise:gets on knees and begs: And does anyone know about this refusal to allow chapters to contain asterisks and such things? It's getting on my nerves ...

Edit: This quick-edit thingy when you upload is getting on my nerves! It took away half of my exclamation marks, question marks, hyphens, underscores, and commas, so if I missed some, sorry. I did my best ...

Rambled enough, on to the belated Christmas chapter! Enjoy.

Chapter 7.

Sara poked at her eggs with a fork- steering clear of the bacon- as she pondered his question. What _did _she want for Christmas? After her act of sounding appalled at Grissom's statement of not even thinking about it, she couldn't say she didn't know.

"Well, there's lots of things ..."

_Way to go, Sara! Stall for time like he can't tell you're lying! Excellent plan!_

"Like what?" Grissom prodded, taking a bite of toast. Sara's eyes hadn't left her plate and she began to mumble incoherent things, still shoving her defenseless scrambled eggs across her plate. "Sorry, what?" Sara lifted her eyes, but averted them to somewhere across the diner.

"I said- hey, isn't that Cath and Nick?" She squinted her eyes. "And Warrick?" Grissom turned his head doubtfully, but flushed red and turned back, his head slightly facing the window, sipping nervously at his coffee. Sara looked at him.

"Uh, Griss?" Sara sighed and leaned back, sticking her eggs with her fork and nibbling at them.

_Great, _she thought bitterly. _He's ashamed to be seen with me._

* * *

Catherine had seen Sara and Grissom notice them, and watched as Grissom turned away. Sara leaned back against the plush booth and bit at her eggs, casting a glare their way. That was when she decided it was time to leave. 

Standing, she said, "Alright, Boys, head on out to the car." Warrick looked up at Cath with raised eyebrows, his lips still closed around his straw. Nick had just started to take the first bite from his burger (how he was able to get a burger so early in the morning was anyone's guess) when he was told to leave.

"But-" he started, his mouth still full.

"Oh, grab a doggie bag, we've gotta go. Come on. I'll get the bill." As Catherine walked off, Warrick watched her. Turning to Nick, he said,

"What's the sudden change of heart?" Nick shrugged, but glanced back up at Grissom and Sara's end of the diner. They weren't looking too happy. Nick swallowed and nodded in their direction.

"Seeing the tension that I am? So thick you could slice it with a steak knife." Warrick nodded.

"Wonder what happened?" Nick shrugged and took another large bite of his hamburger. Catherine returned with styrofoam boxes and cups, and the three packed up their meal.

* * *

Greg gave a soft yawn as he walked down the hall, taking his leave while Grissom wasn't looking. He needed a nap, and he sure wasn't going to get it sitting at a lab desk topped with bags of evidence- evidence, that is, for day shift. 

Headphones on, magazine in hand, his attention was fully focused on fishing around in his pockets for the spare batteries he knew he put there. He was trying to escape without so much as a hesitation, but a feminine giggle accompanied by a man's laugh stopped him dead in his tracks. Tilting his head, he could see into Ecklie's office, the door ajar. A blonde woman sat in Ecklie's plush office chair, but he couldn't tell much else. Ecklie was hovering over her, and both appeared to be laughing at something on the computer screen. The woman's fingers worked rapidly on the keyboard, stopping now and then to do something with the mouse.

"This has got to work. It has got to get him fired."

"Demoted, maybe, but not fired. Besides, who would take over graveyard shift? I mean, wouldn't Willows eventually get it? She is the most experienced."

"Perhaps. I wouldn't mind anyone else getting that supervising position, as long as Grissom isn't in control. Everyone else would be much easier to sway."

"And if we get caught, I get no credit, remember? 'Sides, remember who provided the pictures?" Ecklie laughed and turned around, grabbing his coffee.

"It's time for some change around h-" Ecklie stopped. Greg stepped away from the door and began to walk swiftly away, hoping Ecklie didn't see him.

"Hey!"

_Damn. _Greg stopped, then proceded to walk again. He hoped Ecklie would think he hadn't heard a word, with the headphones still perched atop his head and the magazine in front of his face. When he came around the corner, he turned his head to make sure Ecklie hadn't followed and began to run as fast as he could. He would have to tell someone ... Not Grissom. Definitely not Sara. It would have to be Catherine or one of the others. Hadn't they gone to get lunch? They should be coming back ... he would have to wait for them.

* * *

Catherine had just stepped in the front door of the lab when Greg came barreling towards her. Jerking the headphones from his ears, he began a long, hurried string of incoherent words. 

"-andthenthewomansaidrememberwhoprovidedthepicturesandEcklielaughedand-"

"Greg, hold on," Catherine said, halting his long winded explanation. Greg took in a long breath.

"I-I saw ... trying to get Grissom fired; or demoted; or something!" Greg relayed to Catherine the conversation he had overheard. Catherine seemed troubled, but bowed her head in through. Warrick and Nick, however, started on him immediately.

"Sofia!" they said in unison. Greg shrugged.

"Blonde. Good with computers. All I know."

The four of them were silent, but a sharp intake of breath from Greg made them turn around. Sara was approaching the door, though Grissom, several feet behind her, had his hands in his pockets staring at the ground his feet carried him over.

_Like a couple of teenagers_, Catherine thought, seeing the disappointed look about her supervisor. But a new thought arose in Catherine's mind ... how to tell Grissom about Ecklie without having to arrest him for brandishing a weapon.

**A/N**: Terribly short, I know, but just let me get back in the swing of things, k? I promise the next chapter will be considerably longer, and I'm working on a Valentine's treat and a belated New Year's ficlet for the two-month delay Don't be too angry with me ... ;;


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